Bangladesh: 46 dead as massive fire rips through seven-storey shopping mall in Dhaka

At least 46 people were killed after a massive fire ripped through a sevenstorey shopping mall in Bangladeshrsquos capital city Dhaka The incident also left 22 others injuredThe fire on Thursday night that engulfed the Green Cozy Cottage building in the capitals Baily Road area housed several restaurants and shops newswire PTI reported quoting government officialsThe fire broke out around 950 pm on Thursday at a popular restaurant named ldquoKacchi Bhairdquo on the buildings first floor and quickly spread to the upper floors that had more restaurants and a garment shop according to fire service officialsHealth Minister Dr Samanta Lal Sen said around 2 am that 33 bodies were brought to Dhaka Medical College Hospital DMCH and 10 others to the Sheikh Hasina National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery Another victim died at the Police HospitalThe condition of those injured is critical he told reporters at a briefingOne more person died during treatment in the intensive care unit of Dhaka Medical ICU this morning A total of 46 people have died so far Sen said on FridayCurrently 10 people are undergoing treatment at the Sheikh Hasina burn unit and two at DMCH he saidTill now the bodies of 39 people have been identified Of them at least 31 bodies of the victims have been handed over to families without an autopsy Till now the identities of six bodies remain unknown The authorities will hand them over after conducting a DNA testPrime Minister Sheikh Hasina is closely monitoring the fire incident at the commercial building the Health Minister saidHasina on Friday bemoaned that there was no fire exit in the multistoried building ldquoThe fire that broke out in Bailey Road that is a multistoried building but there was no fire exitrdquo she said She urged all to follow the rules and regulations while constructing any building Hasina said that 46 people died in the Bailey Road fire incident ldquoWhat could be more painful than thisrdquo she saidHowever the prime minister said that the government has repeatedly instructed to install fire extinguishers and take fire safety measures in all buildings but that is hardly followed ldquoAnd I know there was no insurance so they victims in the Bailey Road fire incident will not get anything as compensation Awareness is very much needed in these casesrdquo she saidFire officials said 75 people including 42 in unconscious state were taken out of the sevenstorey building Thirteen fire service units were mobilised the officials saidThe minister a burn wound specialist said 22 people are being treated at both health facilities and their condition is critical The respiratory system of those who have survived so far has been seriously damaged Sen told reporters at the DMCHDoctors said some of the bodies were burned beyond recognition and feared that the death toll could riseWitnesses and officials said to escape the fire people rushed to the upper floors Many were rescued by firefighters using ladders they addedIGP Chowdhury Abdullah Al Mamun in a press briefing said that 44 people died and 75 had been rescued Some of the rescued individuals received first aid treatment before returning home safelyHe also said the dead victims included the daughter of a police officerFire Service DG Moin said the 42 unconscious included 21 women and four childrenldquoIt was a dangerous building with gas cylinders on every floor even on the staircasesrdquo he saidHe believes the fire originated from a gas leak or stove The building has only one exit the staircases according to himMost of the people died as they jumped off the building or from burns or suffocation said firefighters who brought the fire under control around 1230 amThe first death was reported around 1 am when the firefighters took the bodies one by one to a freezing truck waiting outside the building local media reportedA fivemember committee has been formed to investigate the incidentFires in apartment buildings and factory complexes are common in Bangladesh due to lax enforcement of safety rulesAs many as 102 people were killed and 281 others sustained burn injuries in 27624 fire incidents across the country in 2023 according to Bangladesh Fire Service and Civil Defence FSCD headquartersAccording to the Fire Service statistics most of the fire incidents originated from electric short circuits burning cigarettes ovens and leakage of gas pipelinesIn July 2021 at least 52 people including many children were killed when a fire swept through a food processing factoryIn February 2019 70 people died when an inferno ripped through several Dhaka apartment blocks With inputs from PTI